How is your shorter week going? I often find the week after a bank holiday can feel longer than a normal week!
If I asked you right now to name one good thing that happened over the bank holiday, what would you say?
If you had a weekend away, or even a day trip out, that’s probably an easy question.
But what if you just spent your weekend at home, catching up on spring cleaning or binge watching a TV show?
I’m willing to bet that if you really think about it, you can still come up with something good that happened.
Perhaps you made the perfect cup of coffee, and enjoyed it in silence before anyone else was up.
Maybe you went to the supermarket and bumped into a friend.
Or you got a solid 8 hours of sleep!
The good things that happen to us don’t have to be enormous – or even that big at all.
I saw a post on Facebook the other day that suggested starting a note in your phone called “good things are always happening to me” – and to add something to it every day.
Now, some days you’ll have been sent a wonderful bouquet of flowers.
Or you’ll spend a wonderful day socialising with friends.
The difficult part of finding something to add to the list will be choosing which one makes the list…
… But you’ll also have many more days where nothing obviously “great” has happened and you’ll have to dig a little deeper.
You’ll have to really search for the smaller things.
Something like “I went to the supermarket and didn’t need to queue”
Or “found my favourite sweets in my local shop”
These tiny little moments that would normally pass unmarked – what happens if you start to mark them?
To notice them, and to write them down?
Well, first of all it means you will train your brain to search out these good things during the day.
I’ll bet within a few days you’ll be thinking to yourself throughout the day “that’ might be my good thing for the list today”
You’ll notice more good things – things that previously didn’t really matter.
Secondly: within a few weeks you will have a note on your phone filled with a list of good things to look back on.
Reminders of good things that have happened
And also reminders that good things do happen every single day.
That sort of thing is great to look at when you feel like you’re having a bad day.
Over time you will have your own personal mental sunshine, handily available on your phone whenever your mood needs a little boost!
That sounds pretty good to me!
What will go on your list for today?